Contact info
2030 Will Ross Court, Chamblee, GA 30341
404-334-7064
quotes@zyci.com
Industrialist.
Entrepreneur.
Free Thinker.
About Mitch Free
Mitch Free is an industrialist, serial entrepreneur and free thinker. He currently serves as the owner and CEO of ZYCI.
Mitch also founded Fast Radius in 2014, MFG.com (global manufacturing marketplace) in 2000 and 3DATUM (CAD/CAM software and 3D printers) in 1998. ZYCI is Mitch's fourth successful business.
Mitch began his career as a CNC machinist and worked in the aerospace and automotive tooling sectors producing some of the most complex parts and assemblies. After working in job shops for 7 years, Northwest Airlines recruited him to develop methods to rapidly reverse engineer and produce aircraft parts when they could not be quickly obtained from the OEM or surplus market. While at the airline, he was awarded multiple patents (5,167,720 and 5,162,659) for technologies he created for inspection and repair of jet engine components.
Mitch's “owner mentality”, track record of innovation, penchant for results and servant leadership style quickly led to senior management positions at Northwest Airlines where he oversaw aircraft acquisition, refurbishment and fleet modernization projects worldwide.
Entrepreneurial Journey
Mitch left the airline business to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams and founded 3Datum, a company focused on providing product designers and manufacturers with 3-D CAD, CAM and 3-D printing systems. 3Datum was acquired after 3 years and Mitch subsequently founded MFG.com.
Mitch built MFG.com into the largest global marketplace for the manufacturing industry serving customers in 50 countries and 11 languages with regional offices in Atlanta, Georgia, Paris, France and Shanghai, China. MFG.com’s success attracted high profile investors including Jeff Bezos and Fidelity Ventures. Mitch ran MFG.com as Chairman and CEO for 13 years until selling his stake in 2013.
Mitch’s passion for manufacturing and building companies that delight customers led him to found ZYCI in 2013. Mitch has a very hands on management style is intimately involved in the day-to-day operations and leadership.
Sought After Speaker and Guest
Mitch writes for Forbes about manufacturing as it relates to aerospace and defense. He is a dynamic and sought-after presenter, Mitch has spoken at Northwestern University, Georgia Tech, Harvard Business School, Wharton, Fudan University in China, numerous industry conferences and appears regularly on various media outlets including CNBC and Fox Business.
Mitch is a previous winner of the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and has been featured in Start Up Playbook and Makers, the New Industrial Revolution. Mitch co-authored THE GREAT DISRUPTION: COMPETING AND SURVIVING IN THE SECOND WAVE OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION about the supply disruption that lies ahead as a result of direct digital manufacturing.
Mitch serves on several boards, is a member of YPO, an aviation enthusiast, and private pilot.